Panama Canal Preparation

Hi everyone,

We've now been at Shelter Bay Marina for three weeks.  The time has flown.  There are a bunch of Aussie, Kiwi and Pommie boats here and we've all become members of the 'pirate' Egg & Bacon Bay Yacht Club.  Commodore Danielle (aka Mopsie) of sv Let's Go organises daily get-togethers at the pool.

Shelter Bay Marina

We started preparing for our Panama Canal transit as soon as we arrived in country.  We had decided to do the transit without an agent, using the official web site setup for the purpose.  Andy Pag's article in Yachting Monthly helped convince us to give it a try.

The web site has very helpful instruction videos.  Definitely worth watching closely.

From our experience there were several phases involved:

1. Setup your account;

2. Obtain a Ship Identification Number (SIN);

3. Achieve "AdMeasured";

4. Complete Deposit Refund Payment details;

5. Complete Payment; and 

6. Book Transit Date.

The process can be started prior to arrival in "Canal Waters".  The definition of Canal Waters is unclear but we presumed Linton Bay wasn't included.  Initially one has to declare an ETA and much of the process can be completed prior to arrival.

The first two steps were simple for us.  Here's our SIN.

Step 3 requires the input of a lot of information, including photos of the bow, stern and beam overhangs and an overall profile picture.  We have no beam overhangs so here are the photos we submitted successfully.

Bow Overhang

Stern Overhang

Overall Profile

The only trick we encountered was the checkbox "awning".  We initially left this unchecked since ours isn't permanently rigged.  Turns out that an awning is mandatory to provide shade for the Advisor.  We received an email suggesting modifications and with them submitted we were "Admeasured".

AdMeasured!

Step 4 was tricky for us.  The first trick was filling in the "Tax ID" field.  Turns out what's wanted is an ID your bank will recognise.  We were using WISE and they had my passport number, so that worked.  The second trick was setting up a bank account which had all the characteristics required by the Canal.  This included an IBAN which our Australian bank doesn't provide.  We setup a WISE account in Australia and from that a UK WISE account - which had an IBAN.  Success, but it took a week.

Shortly after completing step 4 we arrived in Shelter Bay Marina.  We advised our arrival and received confirmation.

On arrival at SBM

Step 5 can only be attempted after arrival in Canal Waters.  It to  was tricky.  We exchanged emails with the Canal but the information they provided just didn't work.  In the end we went back to Andy Pag's article and that gave us the clues we needed.

Here are the WISE Recipient Details which worked for us.

WISE Recipient Details

A day after receiving the payment confirmation email from the Canal we could call to schedule our transit.  We received the email on 18th March.  The following day we called and chose 9th April.  We could have gone through a week or so earlier but wanted the week of the 7th.

There are several alternatives for yachts transiting the canal.  The most common is 'nested' which we hope to use.

Nested

There are two daily schedules for yacht transits.  One departs at 0400 and arrives at around 1800.  The other departs at 1600 and arrives the next morning, spending the night moored on the lake.  We'll find out which we're doing on Tuesday, 24 hours prior to our Wednesday transit.

We completed most of our South Pacific boat preparation and much of our provisioning in St Maarten.  By contrast we're surrounded by yachts either manically preparing or waiting for parts to arrive.  Touch wood, our strategy has worked out well and gave us a good 1000nm shake-down passage too.  Since arriving at SBM we've been doing a few small boat jobs and a lot of provisioning.  Our 8 20-litre diesel jerries are full and our lockers and bilge are crammed full of food.

Aloft for the rig check

We now have only two days to our transit.  Looking forward to it!  We'll anchor at La Playita for a couple of nights for final fresh food provisioning and clearing out.  Then we'll be bound towards the Marquesas, in company with a set of EBBYC members.

Trust all's well where you are!

Towards Panama Canal

Hi everyone,

We are now at Shelter Bay Marina, at the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal.  Since arriving in Panama we spent a few days at Banedup anchorage in the San Blas followed by two weeks in Linton Bay Marina.

Fun in the San Blas

Our short stay in the San Blas was "yellow flagged" - we didn't clear-in to Panama there.  This is quite commonly done by cruisers.

Banedup anchorage in the Holandes islands is a popular spot.  Very beautiful.  Facilities ashore have developed since we were last here at Christmas 2022.  There's now a beach bar.  Beer prices are very reasonable.

Banedup beach bar

Bar Tables

It was great to relax for a few days after our passage from St Maarten.  From Banedup it was an easy overnight 60nm passage to Linton Bay.  It was fun to be greeted by Aussie sv Let's Go on arrival.  We last met them in St Helena in 2016.

Holandes to Linton Bay track

Sailing along the S of the Holandes Islands

Approaching Linton Bay

Greeted by Aussie sv Let's Go

In Linton Bay Marina.

We arrived at Linton Bay in the midst of Panama's carnival weekend.  Customs and Immigration were closed and we had to wait 4 days to clear-in.  The marina facilities have improved significantly since 2022 with a new office and a good chandlery.  The Black Pearl restaurant has changed ownership and now has a very nice Panamanian IPA beer.

While there we again met Roxanne, a single-handed sailor who funds her travels playing violin at bars & restaurants.  We last saw her at Les Saintes in Guadeloupe.  Amazing musician.

Sunset from the Black Pearl restaurant

Sundowners aboard Zen Again

Roxanne

At Linton Bay we carried out a series of maintenance tasks.  We cleaned our water tanks which had suddenly started producing dirty water.  We may have got silty water in Sint Maarten.  Happily our tanks are easy to clean.  We applied sticky-back chaff protection to all the mainsail batten pockets.  And we stitched leather patches on our boombag where the lazy checkstays were chafing.

The dregs

Cleaned & resealed

Batten pocket chafe protection

Boombag chafe protection

Nicki created an array of rope bags and organisers from sunbrella and phyfertex.  The galley and head are much better organised now.

Galley organiser

Head organiser

Head handtowel bag

On Sunday we day-sailed the 25nm to Shelter Bay Marina.  Half motoring then half sailing.  Lots of cargo ships anchored off Colon.

Linton Bay to Shelter Bay Track

Shelter Bay arrival

Approaching Colon's outer harbour wall

Into the outer harbour

Shelter Bay Marina is a very friendly place.  One of those focal points where cruising boats gather.  Like Mindelo, Cape Town, Darwin etc.  There are several Aussie boats here, including Let's Go.  Several others have just transited the canal into the Pacific.  Also here are UK boats White Malkin and Rosita whose paths we've crossed previously.

Our main task here is to book our canal transit.  That'll be the topic for our next post.

Panama to Panama North Atlantic Circuit

Hi everyone,

Our arrival in Panama marks completion of a 22 month North Atlantic circuit.  Along the way we visited Jamaica, Bahamas, USA, Canada, St Pierre & Miquelon, Azores, Madeira, Canaries, Cape Verdes, Antigua & Sint Maarten.  It was bonza!

Zen Again OCC burgee on the wall at Peter's Sport Cafe, Horta

Here's our overall track...

Track

And here are a set of graphs...

Graphs

The 8 month gap in the middle was spent with Zen Again out of the water at DYC in Deltaville, VA, USA.  So Zen Again was in the water for 14 months.  

Speeds

Average Winds

Temperatures

The water temperature above gradually goes wild in the months leading up to haul-out.  The sensor in our Airmar DST-800 failed.  It was replaced in Deltaville with a DST-810 which added pitch and roll sensing. 

Atmospheric Pressure

It's interesting seeing the wider pressure excursions while outside the tropics.  Entirely expected, but interesting to see it in reality.

Here are the vital stats for the circuit…

    • Distances/Speeds

        • Log Distance = 11,645nm

        • GPS Distance = 11,868nm (using NoForeignLand's mileage calculator)

        • Duration = 2 years 2 months

    • Weather

        • Variable!

        • Scariest - a 40G50 knot thunderstorm in the Bahamas

   • Engine

        • 602 hours

    • Stars

        • The boat!

        • WindPilot vane gear

        • StarLink

        • Icom HF/SSB radio

Our circuit was of course timed to match the seasons.  We stayed in the Bahamas for the early part of the hurricane season, keeping a close eye on hurricane development.  The next year we cruised "down east" to St Pierre earlier than most to optimise the timing of our 1200nm passage to the Azores.  And our passages from the Canaries to St Maarten were timed to arrive in Panama a couple of months before our planned Panama Canal transit in April. 

Here are a small set of photos of our circuit.  For more detail enter the country name in the Search Box at the top-left of this page.

Touring Jamaica

Bahamas!

Bahamas!

Cheeseburgers in Paradise

ICW (Instra-Coastal Waterway in US

Moored at an OCC Port Officer's dock on Chesapeake Bay

On a mooring in wonderful, sailing-mad Annapolis

Replicating a 1980s photo off Annapolis

On the hard at DYC, Deltaville

Flying over Greenland enroute back to US

Chesapeake Bay sunset

Guess where!

New York, NY

Anchored in the Essex River, CT

Entering Eel Pool at Woods Hole, MA

Beautiful Maine

Canada-bound

Anchored in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

Foggy Nova Scotia

Beautiful Nova Scotia

Moored at OCC Port Officer home on the Bras D'Or

Beautiful Bras D'Or

Ramea Island, Newfoundland

La Hune Bay, Newfoundland

St Pierre

Atlantic Crossing dawn

Flores landfall

Beautiful Flores

Anchored in Horta, Faial with Pico in background

Beautiful Azores

Touring the Azores with the OCC 70th Anniversary Cruise

Spectacular Porto Santo

Touring Porto Santo with the OCC 70th Anniversary Cruise

Did we have fun?
(sv Metzi photo)

 D'Abra Bay, Madeira

D'Abra Bay Braai/BBQ

Walking the Madeira Levadas

Madeira

Touring Funchal, Madeira with OCC sv Metzi

Anchored off Graciosa, Canaries

Touring Lanzarote with the OCC 70th Anniversary Cruise

Fuertaventura

Gran Canaria

OCC 70th Anniversary Pasito Blanco BBQ
(Agustin Martin photo)

We had a marvellous North Atlantic circuit.  Some great sailing and some not so great.  Met so many wonderful people.  Many of them were the marvellous OCC Port Officers.  The weather was hugely variable of course, but with proper planning it's well within the capabilities of our 10m 1980s racer/cruiser.

Fun aboard OCC sv Metzi

And finally thanks to my wonderful Admiral and "other half".  What adventures we have!